Light and Lemony Fish Cakes

It's official.  Crab cakes are my favorite food. 

Since moving to Denver, I forgot how much I love crab cakes. Back in PA, the Fiance used to make fun of me- if we ever went out to eat, and crab cakes were on the menu- well, everyone knows what I'm ordering! I can't help myself!  They're just so wonderful! Especially when in Maryland with the Fiance's family. 

This recipe may not be seasonally appropriate, but I found myself in a small crisis recently. My refrigerator is broken. Which means everything in the freezer is defrosting, including a bag of frozen tilapia. FISH CAKE TIME!

You can really taste the lemon in these cakes, it's light and refreshing.  I dusted the cakes with paprika, chili powder, and fresh pepper before pan-frying and it made for a nice crispy exterior, the cakes flaking apart easily with a fork. These fish cakes are chock full of fish, not a lot of filler here.  Just like a fish cake (and crab cake) should be.  

One of my favorite things about this recipe is it's perfect for make-ahead meals.  You can make these fish cakes, freeze them, and then just pop them out when needed for a quick, delicious, light meal. Serve with your favorite tartar sauce, or even better- homemade tartar sauce. 

Light and Lemony Fish Cakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe

1 lb fresh or frozen tilapia fillets 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp dijon mustard
6 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 shallots, minced (about 2 tsp)
3 dashes hot sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper 
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place fish fillets in a baking dish and rub with a tsp of olive oil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until fish is cooked through.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  Pat excess moisture off with a paper towel when cool.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the egg whites, mayo, lemon juice, mustard, breadcrumbs, parsley, shallots, and hot sauce. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.  When fish is cool, flake it with a fork into small chunks (being careful not to mash it!) and add it to the bowl. Mix well. Form into 6 equal size patties. Place on a clean baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes before cooking.  At this point, you can leave them in the freezer until frozen, remove them and double wrap in plastic wrap and store in ziploc freezer bags for one month if you are making ahead. Defrost before cooking.
3. After patties have gotten a little stiff after being in the freezer for 15 minutes, remove them and heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, chili powder, and fresh pepper. Sprinkle this mixture over both sides of the patties. 
4. Once oil is hot, place the patties in the pan and saute until a nice golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Adding the fish cakes before the oil is hot will make it soggy- the most important step here is waiting for the oil to be hot enough. 
5. Serve immediately. 

Red Chili Honey Butter Shrimp on Crispy Polenta Cakes

Red. Chili. Honey. Butter. Shrimp. 

Yum. 

This recipe was created very much by ingredients I happened to have on hand, which is the case of most of my recipes.  

The Boyfriend rated this meal 'pretty good,' which may not sound like a compliment but is actually the highest ranking on his scale, depending on the tone of his voice and facial expressions when he says it.  

The base of the dish is a simple roasted red pepper puree, topped with a spinach and basil salad. Crispy polenta cakes are placed on top, still hot, warming the spinach salad below, and it's all topped off with shrimp drizzled with the red chili honey butter sauce.  

I tried to get a bit of each flavor in every bite.  It's one of those dishes where you're mixing a bite of polenta in the red pepper puree, grabbing a piece of spinach soaked in the slightly spicy butter sauce.  And the shrimp.  Don't forget the shrimp!

This recipe was easy to make, and pretty fast (if you don't count the refrigeration time needed for the polenta- if you're looking to make this tonight, read through whole recipe!)

It's something I sort of whipped together  and when finished and I saw it on a plate, I thought to myself that this dish is worthy of a special occasion dinner. I thought I'd hurry up and share it with you, with Valentine's Day being tomorrow!  If you don't have a dinner planned yet, and you'll be working and want something you don't have to slave over but is still impressive.. here you go.  This is it. 

The list of ingredients seems long, but it's really just redundant since I've split up the four components of the dish.  You'll probably find most of these ingredients in your house already (as I did!).  

Red Chili Honey Butter Shrimp on 

Crispy Polenta Cakes

For the Shrimp:
24 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsl chopped parsley
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbls unsalted butter
salt and pepper

For the Spinach Salad:
Fresh spinach, tough stems removed
Fresh basil, leaves only
1 piece of cooked thick sliced bacon, diced (or use pancetta or prosciutto)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

For Basic Polenta:
2 cups water
3/4 cup polenta (yellow cornmeal) **Make sure it's gluten free if needed
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

For the Roasted Red Pepper Puree:
1 Red pepper
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:


Spinach Salad:
Rough chop the spinach and basil together.  Toss together and add bacon.  In a separate bowl, combine olive oil and red wine vinegar.  Pour over salad and toss when ready to serve. 

Roasted Red Pepper Puree:
Broil the red pepper until all sides are black and charred.  Let cool until easy to handle, and peel the black skin off the pepper.  Remove the seeds and stem, and place pepper in a blender or food processor.  Puree.  Gradually drizzle a but of olive oil in and puree again.  Continue until puree reaches your desired consistency. I usually keep mine pretty thick.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Polenta:
In a saucepot, heat water until boiling.  Add the salt, and gradually the polenta. Reduce heat to low, whisking often, and cook until polenta is tender (about 15 minutes). Turn off heat, add butter, and stir until melted.  

Polenta is ready to eat!  To continue on for crispy polenta, spread the polenta flat in a small pan or tray.  For this amount of polenta, I spread mine into a loaf pan (about 4 x 12).  Refrigerate until firm.  Once firm, remove from fridge and cut out desired sized circles with a cookie cutter.

Heat oil in a saute pan, and sauce the polenta cakes until golden crispy on all sides. 

Shrimp:
Toss the shrimp in a bit of salt and pepper.  Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add the shrimp.  Saute for a minute and add 1 tbsp of the butter.  Saute for a few minutes longer until shrimp is golden on both sides.  Reduce heat to medium and add the red pepper flakes, parsley, and garlic. Stir to coat. Pour in the wine and allow to reduce by half.  Remove the shrimp to serving platter, leaving the sauce in pan. Add the remaining 2 tbsp butter to the pan and the honey.  Stir until butter is melted.  Pour sauce over shrimp, allowing it to drizzle a bit on the polenta and spinach. 

To Assemble:
Spread roasted red pepper puree on base of plate.  Place handfuls of spinach salad in the middle, allowing the puree to hold the spinach in place. Place polenta cakes directly on top of spinach, and top with shrimp and Red Chili Honey Butter Sauce.  Enjoy!

A couple other favorite recipes:
Chicken Salad with Pecans, Grape, and Green Pepper

Wensleydale Apple Cranberry Tartlets with Thyme Shortbread Crust and Bourbon Glaze

Red Wine Braised Beef with Cranberry Reduction

I had leftover cranberry sauce.

(is it still considered leftover if you forget to serve it?!)

Why not turn that frown upside down, and make a beautifully impressive dinner?

This beef is seared in a cast iron skillet (or any hot skillet you may have), braised in red wine, and  finished in the oven for hours until ever-so-tender. 

Leftover cranberry sauce is added to the pan juices and reduced, making a sweet and savory sauce.  

Serve with mashed potatoes, Tomato Braised Kale, and Sage Popovers, and you've got a special meal.  

Red Wine Braised Beef with Cranberry Reduction

3 bone-in short ribs (~2 1/2 lbs)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped in 1/2 inch pieces

3 onions, chopped and cut in 1/2 inch pieces

2 stalks celery, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups red wine (chianti works well, I had barbera on hand)

2 cups water, preferably boiling (or room temp will work)

3 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup cranberry sauce

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Optional step if time: generously coat the short ribs in salt and pepper and refrigerate for 4 hours and up to 1 day.  This step makes a moister meat, but can be skipped. 

1. Remove short ribs from fridge a half hour before cooking to bring to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in large oven-safe skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat.  Get the pan pretty hot (a drop of water should sizzle when hot enough).  Add the short ribs, in batches if necessary, and sear all sides until a nice brown crust forms.  Remove to a plate.

3. In same hot pan add the onion, carrot, and celery.  Cook for a few minutes without stirring.  Stir once, and cook another 5 minutes or so without disturbing, until vegetables will begin sticking to pan a bit.  Stir and cook another 5 minutes, until vegetables stick to bottom again.  

4.  Carefully pour in the red wine and stir, scraping up the brown buts from the beef and veggies.  Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the water, thyme, rosemary, a couple shakes of salt and pepper, and bay leaf. If the meat is not covered with liquid, add more water until it is.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and transfer to the hot oven.  Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  

5. Remove from oven, and carefully remove the short ribs to a plate, draping the aluminum foil over them.  Place a colander in a large bowl, and drain the contents of the skillet into the bowl.  Reserve the beef stock and discard the carrot/onion/celery mirepoix.  Pour a spoonful of the beef stock over each short rib to keep it moist while you make the Cranberry Reduction.

6. Return the skillet to the stovetop, add 2 cups of the beef stock and the cranberry sauce, and heat over medium- medium high heat.  Bring to a simmer.  Once at a simmer, stir often, and cook about 10 minutes, until the sauce begins to reduce.  Taste and if too sweet add more broth.  Continue cooking until sauce reduces by half and slightly thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Portion short ribs on serving plates and spoon the cranberry reduction over top. Enjoy!

Cardamom Scented Carrot Cheesecake

I first became aware of celiac disease when I met my step-dad.  At first, it was hard to comprehend.  No flour??!!  No bread? Pasta? Cake? Pizza???!!  etc, etc....  WHAT DO YOU EAT?!!?

That was before the surge in public awareness of gluten free eating.  Now it's pretty mainstream- with people choosing to go gluten-free for it's health benefits.  When I look at my step-dad's diet, it's completely apparent to me that gluten-free diets ARE more healthy.  To make up for the calories missing from bread and other 'glutinated' items, he eats extra veggies, and more often eats quinoa and brown rice.  

Since becoming more aware of gluten-free eating, I have gone completely gluten free in the past, and currently attempt to make healthier, gluten-free choices when possible (fairly speaking though- I DO eat   my share of gluten).  I enjoy the challenge of trying to make recipes gluten-free.

I am not, by any means, saying the following recipe for Carrot Cheesecake is healthy...  :)  But is IS gluten-free.  And DELICIOUSSSSS.

Cardamom Scented Carrot Cheesecake

This cake is time consuming (plan a whole day to prepare), but worth it.  I brought it to Easter dinner and got RAVE reviews.  Make it a day ahead- it's better the second day.

Crust:

2, 7.25 packages of Pamela's Pecan Shortbread Cookies

5 tbsp butter

Cheesecake:

4, 8 ounce bars cream cheese

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

4 eggs

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cardamom

Carrotcake:

2 cups gluten-free flour mix- I used Betty Crocker Gluten-Free baking mix

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temp

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

3 cups peeled and grated carrots

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardomom

1 tsp salt

1 cup walnuts

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Icing:

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

You will need a 9 inch springform pan, 9 inch round cake pan, and parchment paper.

Crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

2. Melt butter.  Add shortbread cookies to a food processor, and process until crumbs.  Slowly drizzle in the butter while still processing, allowing it to gradually wet all the crumbs. The crumbs should stick together a little when you press a handful into a ball.  If they don't add another tbsp of butter- but adding too much butter will make the crust very heavy, so be careful.

3. Dumb the cookie/butter mixture into the springform pan.  Press it down with the palms of your hand until it forms a solid, flat layer of crust.  When you think it's been pressed down well, press it down some more.  Do not press the crust up on the sides of the pan, keep it flat- as a base for the cake.

4. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.  LET COOL before adding cake batters, but leave oven on at 350.

Cheesecake:
1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and light.  Blend in cream, and then add eggs one at a time, mixing just to combine the eggs with the cream cheese mixture.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients  Set aside, and make the carrotcake.

Carrotcake:
1. Lightly grease the cake pan, and place a circle of parchment paper down, leaving a little parchment hanging over for easy removal of the cake.

2. In a large bowl, cream sugar and eggs. Add vegetable oil and vanilla, mixing until smooth.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar and egg mixture, stirring gently to combine.  Once combined, fold in the carrots and walnuts.

To assemble:
In the spring form pan:
1. On top of the cooled crust, add 1/2 of the cheesecake batter.

2. Add 1/2 of the carrotcake batter on top by small spoonfuls.  If it is poured on top in the center, you won't be able to spread it without combining it with the cheesecake layer.  By adding it with small spoonfuls, you can get the cake pretty mush covered, using a rubber scraper (or butter knife) to drag the spoonfuls together, making one solid layer.

3. Add the rest of the cheesecake batter, spreading evenly.

4. Bake in preheated oven for one hour.  After the hour, turn off oven, but leave cake inside for two hours.  Take out and cool completely on wire racks.

In the 9 inch cake pan:
1. Add the remaining carrotcake batter to the cake pan.  Bake in oven (with carrotcake) removing after 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Halfway through cooking time, switch the positions of the two cakes, so they cook evenly.

2. Let cool completely.

Once cool, use the parchment paper to remove the carrotcake from the pan.  Very carefully, place this layer ON TOP of the Cheesecake.  Try to keep the carrotcake from crumbling when doing this, but f it does you can hide it with the cream cheese frosting.

You now have a cake with 4 layers- cheesecake, carrotcake, cheesecake, carrotcake.

The frosting:
1. Cream the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla.  Gradually add the powdered sugar.  Mix until frosting is light and fluffy.  Apply to cake with a rubber scraper, spatula,  or spoon into a piping bag to decorate.

Store in fridge overnight.